I am ready to take the plunge but cannot decide and hope someone can provide more information or a little nudge in which direction. I can now get the 09 HCH II at $5500 cheaper that the 2010 Prius. MSRP is about the same at $27500 here in Canada. I know the Prius is full of gadgetery and the HCH not as much. I have been reading some pros and cons of both vehicle but would really like to hear from you who are the real owners of wither of these two vehicles.

1) How much did you pay for yours?
2) Transmission reliability
3) Cold weather gas mileage
4) Summer gas mileage
5) Hybrid engine reliability
6) Battery problems
7) Long term reliability any issues?
*) Overall reliability and anything else you can add

Please help as I need to decide within the next day or two. This is my first vehicle purchase in a long while so help me make the right choice. Thanks for your advice.

 

1) How much did you pay for yours?
Not really applicable--I'm in the states and it was 3 years ago.
2) Transmission reliability
Fine. I haven't had any problems in 30k miles.
3) Cold weather gas mileage
Sucky. The HCH has the ability to glide without using fuel once it's a little bit warmed up. Unfortunately, no fuel = no heat source for the engine so it quickly cools down if you are gliding (note: the heater still blows warm air). I got about 45mpg last winter milking it for all it was worth.
4) Summer gas mileage
Amazing. I've had two 62mpg tanks, and my summer average is about 55mpg. I've also had one 700 mile tank and MANY 600+ mile tanks. Summer mileage has fallen this year after my commute went from 10miles to 5 miles.
5) Hybrid engine reliability
No problems whatsoever--it's a Honda!
6) Battery problems
Problems? None. Annoyances? Well, it likes to go from 5+ bars of battery to 1 in about 25 seconds. This is called a recalibration and it is normal if it happens every couple of months. In my car it happens every couple of days. They aren't able to fix the "problem" since I'm not throwing any CEL codes. This seems to happen more on the '06s than later models though.
7) Long term reliability any issues?
None
*) Overall reliability and anything else you can add
The most ergonomically perfect car I've ever owned. I'm very happy with it. I've driven the Prius II and was very underwhelmed by the appliance-like driving experience (it might as well have been a washing machine, not a car). The HCH isn't exactly sporty, but you can sure throw it around more than the Prius. Just my $0.02...

 

Locally there's a major different for the two ride but not sure it apply in canada,
namely its a 1.8 and 1.3 litre engines which we need to pay extra for ownership due to our tax system

honda designed fm a normal civic compare to toyota a one off car, which greatly limits the accessories that come with it

toyota plus point which u can drive it totally on batteries if you are driver that goes around low mileage and steady

compare to honda which has very nice interior, wheares the new toyota dash panel look
cheap and prone to scratch

my view - if you like low cost and maintainability chose honda or
steady and eco type chose toyota

 

In terms of reliability, you'll be equal in both cars. The real key is what you are comfortable with. I owned an 07 HCH II and now own the 10 Prius. Personally, I felt like the Civic handled better overall, though the Prius has a better turning radius. I also felt like I sat back in the middle of the car in the Civic (I'm around 6 feet mostly legs) and sit more towards the front of the Prius.

In terms of MPG, I'm higher in the Prius by about 10 MPG with the A/C on all the time. The Prius has much better acceleration and can do 75 without much loss in MPG at all. It also can accelerate much better at those speeds. I'm getting 48-50 MPG avg in the Prius, but with A/C on in the HCH it was down around 40. My typical drive is 4.5 miles, with 7 stop lights along the way and speeds between 35 - 50. Not exactly an ideal drive. I have gotten as high as 63 MPG on a trip of just shy of 60 miles. Never got near that number in the HCH on that trip. I do not have numbers on winter driving in the Prius, but never touched 40 MPG this past winter.

The biggest things I like more about the Prius is the Bluetooth and ability to do straight EV mode for actual driving. Also, you can actually reach the headlights (I have swapped Halogen's for HIDs in my last 4 cars) without taking the weels off and going through the wells.

Overall, both are good cars, but for me, I enjoy the Prius more because here on the East Coast drivers are crazy and there are places where merging requires speeds of 65 MPH and the HCH just didn't do too well at that for me.

In regards to cost, I've paid Invoice on the new cars, because they were new models at the time. That is your true comparison.

 

ktg, I went thru what you are dealing with in the fall of 2006. I was interested in a 2006 Prius! I test drove a Prius and was ready to sign on the dotted line. I decided to have lunch first and on my way out walked up to the Honda Dealer to check out the 2006 HCH2. I test drove the HCH2 and I actually preferred the Honda. It was $5000 less money as well! I took the HCH2 and am very pleased with the car. I have had no issue's with the car, it has been trouble free. I had the battery cap re-call issue addressed and also the upper control arms changed. It has been a great Auto. I know what your going thru! Hal

 

I would say get the Prius. I am not sure what's going to be new for Honda next year but it's time for a new change as the current Civic is in it's 5th and final year of production. I think the Prius is far ahead of the Civic in terms of technology. I have an 07 HCH and I plan on getting the Prius in either Dec or Jan. The Civic has been a very rock solid car other than the control arms getting replaced along with 4 new tires (two of them on Honda) and the standard oil changes.

I say go for the Prius as it's pretty much a new car, and the technology is more advanced than Hondas.

 

I am extremely happy with my '09 HCH. I paid $22,700 with NAV and leather. The '09s include bluetooth, 4-wheel disc brakes, and some other nice upgrades. Averaging about 47 MPG with 100% use of AC... would do better but there are many hills in my area. It is well-styled, nice-driving, and comfortable. Not a rattle anywhere. I can't stand how Toyotas drive (marshmallows), how the Prius looks (don't ask), and my former Camry Hybrid was not built too well compared to any Honda I've owned.

 

I have an 08 HCH and I haven't been as happy with it as most people here. Mine rattles a lot from various interior locations. During the winter the batteries must be at a certain temp to allow recharging, so I can drive over half way to work before they allow recharging (about 5 miles to work, in town) and the engine won't shut off until it's warmed up enough, which during cold weather is a couple of miles. During the summer with the AC on with city or highway driving my mileage drops by about 10 mpg. Without the AC I would get about 42 in town and about 55 on the highway. I also have this odd thing that occurs if I drive in town a lot, my batteries will slowly discharge due to usage, but never really recharge back to it's last state, so I slowly lose charge until it goes into it's forced recharge mode, once that happens it gets stuck there until I get on the highway or find a hill to coast down to charge the batteries up.

I haven't really even looked at a Prius, I just don't like the way they look, but given what I know now about the Civic, I wouldn't get one. I've started looking in at the Volt as a possible trade in option for my Civic.

 

Thanks everyone for your reply. Interesting point of views from everyone.
After reading almost everythread on the HCHII, I was kind of worried about getting into any transmission problems but I think that most owners that had this problem was pre 06? The prius is a new model this year with lots of new technology and I am afraid that since this is the first production year for this car, they might go thru some teething pains and I would like to avoid if possible. I know Toyotas and Honda are very reliable cars but a $5k difference in price is a lot. I know my wife prefers the prius but i tell her the difference in price can buy a lot of things...plus she will be driving it most of the time unless i can steal it of her

Hmm, I think I will go back for another test drive this weekend and make my final choice...hopefully. Thanks and anymore feedback would be great.

 

I don't know where you live but if its anywhere as cold in Sask., winters DO NOT BUY HONDA! The car does not heat up when driving around town. I have a 07 and I froze the past 2 winters. The windows frost up and they will not clear. You have to scrape them on the inside to see. On the plus side, Summer its ok. The A/C works good and the fuel economy is fantastic. But I would not buy the civic if I had prior knowledge